High Bill Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to your frequently asked questions about high bills.

Energy consumption
Metering
Energy efficiency
General

Why is my neighbor’s electric bill lower than mine?
Even if your home may appear identical to your neighbors, houses often vary in terms of insulation values, heating and cooling needs, the condition of the home and appliances, insulation levels and the temperature settings of the heat and water heater. Your bill reflects the amount of electricity you use and represents the unique needs of your family.

What can I expect to be typical usage for my air conditioner? Cooling and heating a home uses more energy than any other system in the home and is determined by home size, home structure (condition of ductwork, window caulking, insulation levels, etc.), outside temperatures, thermostat settings and air conditioning equipment used. On average 45 percent of a summer bill goes for cooling the home. Regardless of the type of cooling system you are using, you can save money and increase your comfort level by properly maintaining your system, using recommended thermostat settings and by weatherizing the home.

It is not uncommon for a home with a central air conditioning to have summer bills with usage that is three or four times greater than other times in the year.

What can I expect to be typical usage for my heating equipment?
During the winter months when electric heat is used in a home, 45 percent of the winter bill can be attributed to heating the home. Reducing heating costs can be accomplished by properly maintaining your system, using recommended thermostat settings and by weatherizing the home.

Heating, like air conditioning, is largely dependent upon home size, home structure (condition of ductwork, window caulking, insulation levels, etc.), outside temperatures, thermostat settings and heating equipment used.

The specific cost of operating baseboard heaters can be determined if you know the length of the heater and the cost per kilowatt hour for your area. Baseboard heaters use 250 watts per linear foot. To determine the cost of operating baseboard heaters, multiply the length of the heater by 250 to get the watts per heater. Since you are billed for the number of kilowatt hours used, divide the wattage of the heater by 1,000 and multiply by the cost per kilowatt hours to determine the cost of running the heater for one hour.

How can I pinpoint where I am using my power?
Unexplained usage in the home may be due to a faulty appliance. Determining which appliance is the culprit can be accomplished if breakers in the circuit breaker box are labeled. Begin by turning off all the breakers except for the main. The meter should not spin because individual appliances are off at the power source. Turn one breaker on and check the meter to see if the meter disc is spinning. Repeat this process for each circuit. Note that you may notice a spin on the meter if the appliance associated with the circuit you have just turned on has cycled on. Water heaters, refrigerators and freezers cycle on and off throughout the day. The goal of this exercise is to determine which breaker and associated appliance is continuing to use power beyond normal daily operation. The meter will spin faster for appliances/areas of the house that use more electricity.

What appliances might be causing my bill to be so high?
There are a number of high bill culprits that can be causing your usage to be higher than usual. Pumps for irrigation, swimming pools and bailing out flooded basements can use a lot of power when run for long durations. Heating equipment such as a pottery kiln or a metallurgical refinery that is used for a new hobby can often use more power than your entire home in a month. Medical equipment can also be a significant source of usage for a household. It is recommended that you contact Pacific Power if you add any of these types of equipment, so that we can determine if your circuit can handle the extra load.

I recently bought a new appliance/ new appliances. Why hasn’t my bill gone down?
As mentioned above, several factors can affect your electric bill. If you have a new refrigerator, but it has been a particularly hot summer or cold winter month, your usage might increase. While installing new, more energy-efficient appliances is generally a good idea, savings may be small or hard to notice.

Metering

I think that my meter was misread, what should I do?
First determine if there has been a change in your usage, which caused the change in your bill. Has the heating or cooling season begun? Have you had visitors? Did you take a vacation? Is there something wrong with your equipment? All of these can affect your electric bill.

If you still think that there has been a problem with your meter read, you can try to read your meter and compare it to your bill. Click here for a description of how to read your meter. If your reading was correct and was lower than what your statement has, your bill was over-read. See the example below.

Example

When we read your meter again, your bill will be corrected and we will make an adjustment to reflect your actual usage for the period. If you do not want to wait until the next month’s bill for the adjustment, please call us anytime at 1-888-221-7070.

How likely is it that the issue with my bill is related to a faulty meter?
It is very unlikely that the problem that you are experiencing is a problem with your meter. The chance of a five-dial meter failing is less than one percent, and it is more likely to slow down than to speed up. It is very rare for a meter to register more usage than what is actually being used. Meters can sometimes stop, however. If you know that you are using power and your statement shows no kilowatt hour usage for the period, your meter may be stopped. Please call us to report a stopped meter. We can be reached anytime, toll free, at 1-888-221-7070. Remember that unbilled usage will not go away. If your meter is stopped, we may estimate past months’ billing. To ensure accurate billing, please let us know as soon as you are aware that you have a stopped meter.

My bill is much lower than usual, could this be a metering problem?
If you know that you are using power and your statement shows no kilowatt hour usage for the period, your meter may be stopped. Please call us to report a stopped meter. We can be reached anytime, toll free, at 1-888-221-7070. Remember that unbilled usage will not go away. If your meter is stopped, we may estimate past months’ billing. To ensure accurate billing, please let us know as soon as you are aware that you have a stopped meter.

Energy Efficiency

Is it better to close the vents and doors of rooms that aren’t in use?
In general, it is less expensive to heat a small area than a large one. In order to save heating costs with an electric furnace, doors to individual rooms and vents within these rooms can be closed. But, because air flow is needed to operate central furnaces do not close off more than one-quarter of the home. There’s always an exception to the rule. Heat pumps rely on air flow throughout the system and are sized to heat/cool the entire home so doors and ducts should remain open if you are a heat pump owner. In fact, heat pump warranties may become void if the system becomes inoperable due to reduced air flow in the home.

Is it worthwhile to continually turn on and off lights for brief periods of time when entering/leaving a room or is it better just to leave them on?
With incandescent light bulbs, it is a good idea to turn them off anytime they are not needed.

With compact fluorescent bulbs, it is best to only turn off lights if you will not be using them for more than 10 or 15 minutes. Constantly turning on and off compact fluorescent lights will significantly reduce bulb life.

Your meter measures only the electricity used in your home. When appliances and even lights are turned off, the meter will register less power use in the home.

Save money on lighting by:

reducing the wattage of incandescent bulbs in frequently used areas
replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescents use 20 percent of the electricity of an incandescent bulb and last 10 times longer.

Can I save money on purchasing new appliances or buying other energy efficiency products?
You may be eligible for savings depending on your state:

General

Do you have printed materials available for me to read on energy efficiency?
Yes. Our Bright Ideas booklet is filled with helpful tips and recommendations for saving energy. Also our Watt’s Up Brochure contains some good pointers for understanding why your bill may have changed. Click here to order energy efficiency information .